Faith Vs. Reason (Step out in Faith: Part 1)

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“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Faith Vs. ReasonAre you facing something today that requires a step of faith?

I was just thinking this morning about the account in Matthew 14 of Jesus walking on water and Peter’s step of faith. It occurred to me how shocking it must have been for Peter (and the other disciples) to see Jesus walking on the water. How completely mind boggling it must have been for him to process. As a fisherman, he knew the sea; his mind must have told him it was physically impossible for a man to walk on the surface of the water. Yet there was Jesus, standing on the water saying to him “come.”

All it required was for Peter to take that first step, out of the boat, and start walking towards Jesus. In his first exuberant moments of faith Peter momentarily forgot about reason. Putting his legs over the side of the boat in faith, he started out on the water, walking toward Jesus. Then, he allowed reason to override his faith and Peter began to sink.

Peter had moved from faith to sight. I’ve been there; have you?

Maybe you’re there today? Initially you felt full of of faith about your situation. You stepped out. Then something happened; someone said something negative that you took onboard, or you told yourself “it’s impossible”, you started to wobble a bit, to waver- then you took your eyes off Jesus and looked instead to“Reason”; all the reasons why this could not be from God.

Reason will tell you it’s unwise to act until you have full understanding. Reason will say “wait till you’ve gathered all the facts, or you’ll surely sink!”

But God doesn’t think the way we think. He isn’t limited to the physical, or to time or space. We cannot place our Almighty, All Powerful God in a neat little box.